Women’s Tennis Falls to No. 48 Penn State

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women’s tennis team was defeated by No. 48 Penn State, 5-2, on Saturday afternoon at the Sarni Indoor Tennis Center in State College, Pa.

"We had a much better day overall today," said coach Tina Samara. "The scores don't all show it, but if we keep competing at this level, we will see a lot of improvements during this season. I expect us to continue to improve throughout the season."

The Nittany Lions (8-0) began the match by earning the overall doubles point, as they won two of the three doubles matches.

Seniors Audrey Wooland and Emily Mathis earned the lone doubles win for the Mountaineers, as they defeated Jacqueline Zuhse and Marie Bedard, 8-6. The win was Mathis and Wooland’s fifth doubles win in seven matches this season.

As the match headed to singles play with PSU out in front 1-0, the Mountaineers would try to close the gap.

The task was tough, however, as the Nittany Lions received a 6-2, 6-2 victory from No. 36-ranked Petra Januskova over Audrey Wooland in the No. 1 singles spot.

Following that victory, PSU quickly followed with wins at No. 4 and No. 2 singles that gave them a 4-0 lead and locked up the team victory.

"Hailey started slow, but she found a way to turn things around," Samara said. "She had a long 3-3 game in the third that she just wasn't able to get."

"Ikttesh built on what she learned at VCU, as she won a decisive third set," Samara said. "Vivian competed the way we know and expect her to. She now needs to expect that of herself each time she plays.

"We are all looking forward to next weekend's match knowing that we are all on the same page."

The Mountaineers (1-6) return to action next Saturday, as they compete against Virginia Tech at 11 a.m., at the Charleston Tennis Club in Charleston, W.Va.